Schierholtz non-tendered; four OFs left on roster

The Phillies non-tendered midseason trade acquisition Nate Schierholtz today, making him a free agent when the clock strikes midnight tonight. Schierholtz played only 37 games in a Phillies uniform last season after coming from San Francisco in the Hunter Pence trade.

So that leaves Philadelphia pretty bare in the outfield. Which we knew was coming.

By my count, that leaves the Phillies with four outfielders under contract: John Mayberry Jr., Domonic Brown, Laynce Nix and yes, I’m counting Darin Ruf.

Schierholtz could’ve been a decent option as a corner outfielder or as a backup guy. He hit .273 in his time with the Phillies, including one home run and five RBIs. But Schierholtz was arbitration eligible after making $1.3 million last season. He would’ve been more expensive than the aforementioned players still on the roster, and not much of an upgrade from those guys anyway.

The Phillies’ only other arb-eligible player is Antonio Bastardo, who is likely to be tendered a contract before the midnight deadline tonight.

With baseball’s winter meetings set for Monday, the Phillies really haven’t made any significant moves. That’s sure to change in the coming days as Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. heads to Nashville to chat with other executives.

Unfortunately I won’t be there, but stay tuned here, where I’ll be updating with all the rumors and signings.